It is day 26 and I am at mile 357.8 in lake city. This town is full of Texans on ohv’s. Got lucky and hitched a ride into town with 3 other hikers yesterday. Hopefully the hitch back is easy. I just went through the eastern collegiate loop and the flat continental divide section that […]
So I’ve been hiking around since October and I new about trail names but I figure it wasn’t just something you came up with on your own. So one day I was watching March madness with my sister and they did a story on a team and one of the guys nicknames was Stix. My […]
Yesterday morning I hiked up to the 1st water source after crossing hwy 9 between breck and Frisco. I fired up the stove and made coffee. Then as I was heating water for my bacon and eggs my fuel ran out. I took a nap and thought about going back to get more. Then coming […]
I started The Colorado Trail on June 28th at 1 pm in Waterton Canyon. The first couple of days were hot down in the low elevation. On the third day, although I did not need a break, I hitched into Baily on a dirt forest road. It only took about 5 minutes and I was […]
On May 25th I was dropped off at mile 26 on the PCT which is where it crosses I-8 near San Diego. My goal was to beat my longest hike so far, which was 12 days on the Arizona trail. I figured I could do this around the time I got to Palm Springs at […]
This is the best river I found while exploring the coast. It is elk river and I was able to swim in the beautiful turquoise waters. Several of the rivers further north were brown in color and I suspect it is because they flow from coastal mountains that do not get much snow pack in […]
Passed a few interesting cairns in an extremely rocky section after the east verde river. The rocks went from what appeared to be moon rocks to what looked like pieces of shattered animal bones. After charging my phone and sampling the brew and burgers at That Brewery, I returned to my campsite near the pine […]
This is where the trail crosses the east verde river. It was the most refreshing part of the trip. I submerged my body in the cold water. It felt like I was a kid again back in some Wisconsin summer of the past. Springtime in 2019 on the AZT was a great year for water. […]
This is me and the other 3 peaks. If you read the trail description for the browns peak summit you may be a bit scared to attempt this walk in the park. Although it was the hardest climb I had ever done I wasn’t that bad. The trail was easy to follow since so many […]
On this trip I wanted to complete the four peaks section of the AZT, so I parked at the sunflower trailhead and hiked sobo (southbound) against the nobo thru-hiker traffic. I passed several hikers and I was still amazed at how small some of their packs were. Not long into the hike I came upon […]
I got a ride to Picketpost trailhead with plans to complete the 45 mile Superstition section of the AZT. I brought food for five days but I figured I would probably be out in four. I was well rested and had a good 14 mile hike on the first day. Within the first hour I […]
This was my first summit attempt of Brown’s Peak, the highest of the four. I started at Lake Roosevelt which makes this about 20 miles with 5500 feet of elevation gain if you make it to the top. Cheaters with 4×4’s can get 2 miles away if the roads are open. On the first day […]
You cannot predict it. Those who try will go mad.
While driving around in Southern California near the PCT I came across a road in the national forest that led to this boulder near an empty self pay campground. Hard to believe I had the gem to myself. The next night I did some free camping halfway up the same road. Score.
On my first visit to the Kelso Dunes I woke up early to the kind of clouds that provide poor lighting. I moved on as I often have to and figured maybe next time. On the second trip I got what I wanted and I hiked the predominant crest with full sun. The sand seemed […]
While dodging they cold and stormy weather that February 2019 brought us, I toke another scenic drive from the Mesquite Dunes to… the Kelso dunes. I am pretty sure the snow on top of this sand mountain is rare.
I woke up in the back of my truck. This was the first trip with my camper top on the back and it was a great wind and rain protector. Now I can add snow to the list because when I tried to lift up the back window, which usually takes minimal effort, it wouldn’t […]
After camping at Emigrant camp for the first night I woke up and headed for the valley that runs parallel to Death Valley on the west side. I saw some ghost town ruins on the map so I hit the dirt roads to check them out. Not the typical ghost town you would expect but […]
This was the first time I made the trip down to the Mojave National Preserve. It’s similar to Death Valley with a lot less people. Plenty of secret car camping. Saw several nature made sand paintings.
Today I finally spent a morning roaming the dunes near Stovepipe Wells. You have to fully commit when you walk on sand for several hours. There were quite a few photographers out on the dunes before I even got there. Once you get past the highest dune you can finally get some shots with no […]
I had planned on hiking up to four peaks for the first time to check out the area and see if there was a good water source. This hike is close to a 4000 foot elevation gain. One of my tires popped and went flat right before I reached the trailhead. Not good on the […]
I decided to take the long way back to Phoenix rather than go through Southern California. There is something about driving in Death Valley that will keep me coming back. This was the first time I had been on highway 178 in Panamint Valley. Traffic was non-existent.
Starting from the southern end of the Big Sur Wilderness, I took my time and drove up highway 1. Even in 2018 you can still have a peaceful drive without a car in front or behind you. The elephant seals were in full effect that day.